The Year of the Rabbit is supposed to bring tranquility to all, a opposed to the tumultuous Year of the Tiger.

The new year has passed but already another one is dawning — The Chinese Lunar New Year.

It begins Thursday, Feb. 3rd and ends February 4th, 2012. This year will bring good fortune and placid occurrences and it is a year that is welcomed as it represents calm —something the year of the tiger wasn’t so good at doing.

The year of the tiger is marked by ferociousness, making the year of the rabbit look like a vacation.

“Good taste and refinement will shine on everything and people will acknowledge that persuasion is better than force. A congenial time in which diplomacy, international relations and politics will be given a front seat again. We will act with discretion and make reasonable concessions without too much difficulty,” is one description of the year of the rabbit. But it is also a time to beware that “we do not become too indulgent. The influence of the Rabbit tends to spoil those who like too much comfort and thus impair their effectiveness and sense of duty.”

The year of the rabbit is also marked by prosperity. Money will come without much labor and the year will be lax, creative and unhurried. Those born in this year are known as the most fortunate in the Chinese zodiac.

If you’re wondering which Chinese zodiac sign you are, it goes by the lunar year in which you were born. The Chinese believe that one’s birth year has a deep influence on personality and destiny.

Those born in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 and 2011 are the fortunate individuals who will hop into their year with peace and luck awaiting them.

To see which sign your birth year corresponds to, or if you are fortunate enough to be a rabbit, visit whats-your-sign.com.

But be wary because depending on the exact date on which the new year fell, you could be a tiger or a dragon.

Many places around Queens are offering up some cool events to allow you to celebrate the new year. Below you’ll find a few. As the new year begins, think of it as a second chance on your first new year resolutions. Happy New Year! Or as they say, Gung Hey Fat Choy!

Celebration in Honor of the Chinese New Year 2011, Year of The Rabbit

Sky View Center, Queens’s newest mall, will host a celebration in honor of the Chinese New Year with the local Chinatown Community Young Lions, which promotes the Chinese culture through the dance. Decorated in symbolic lion garb, the young performers, ages 6 to 17, will perform a traditional lion dance that mimics a lions movement at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 5, in the Sky View Center lobby atrium. A $10 Donation includes 1 free raffle entry and food tickets. Sky View Center is located at 40-24 College Point Blvd.

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit with the Queens Zoo’s giant rabbit trio

You can experience exotic Asia right here in Queens as the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo rings in the Year of the Rabbit.

There is a variety of fun and festive activities, including crafts, story telling, and much more.

The zoo’s Flemish giant rabbits will be the stars of the festivities. Each big bunny weighs almost 20 pounds, providing tons of fun for zoo-goers of all ages. For more information about Chinese New Year at WCS’s Queens Zoo, visit queenszoo.com.

The Lunar New Year Parade

This parade is the highlight of the Chinese celebration in Flushing. The Parade will be carried out outdoors on Saturday, February 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. An opening ceremony featuring Lion and Dragon Dance will formally kick-off the beginning of another new year. The indoor festival will take place at Queens Crossing; 136-17 39th Avenue 2Fl. Flushing respectively on the same date from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. It will feature a series of enchanting traditional stage performances and a cultural bazaar.

Chinese Calligraphy Workshop

In celebration of the Year of the Rabbit, the Queens Historical Society will be hosting a special calligraphy workshop with teaching artist Paula Wang. Participants will learn the historical background of the development of writing in Chinese culture as well as creating their own calligraphy scrolls using authentic brushes, ink, and seals. $15 members/$20 general. Seating for this program is limited, to reserve tickets please call (718) 939-0647 ext 17 or email: queenshistoricalsociety.events@gmail.com.

New Year Ceramic Arts

On Saturday, February 5 at 5 p.m., a co-presentation of Queens College and Flushing Town Hall will kick off the Lunar New Year with a vibrant presentation of Culture Blending in Ceramic Arts, a program of Queens College’s Year of China. Works created by contemporary ceramic artists from across the U.S. are heavily influenced by China’s 5,000 year history of ceramics. The exhibition will continue until March. Suggested Admission: $5 and members are free.